put all of it in quotes or not when reporting word for word

Question

Hi,Can I quote like this?1. Let's say this is what Joe said:I want to go home after five.Reporting:Joe said that he wanted to "go home" after five.2. Let's say this is what is said in a book or article in verbatim (word for word?) and pretend that the title of a book or article by Joe is XXX. The economy will get better eventhough it is left as it is.Can one report like this?According to Joe in XXX, the economy will "get better" eventhough it is left as it is.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
Can I quote like this?

1. Let's say this is what Joe said:

I want to go home after five.

Reporting:
Joe said that he wanted to "go home" after five. This is OK. The reader will assume that the quoted words have some special significance.

2. Let's say this is what is said in a book or article in verbatim (word for word? OK ) and pretend that the title of a book or article by Joe is ***.

The economy will get better even though it is left as it is. ( If I were Joe, I'd say 'if' instead of 'although. )

Can one report like this?

According to Joe in ***, the economy will "get better" even though it is left as it is. Again, this is OK. Why have you used italics in your reporting?

Your tenses suggest that Joe wrote this book/article quite recently, eg yesterday.

If he wrote it 30 years ago, you would need to adjust your tenses in reporting it.

Best wishes, Clive

put all of it in quotes or not when reporting word for word

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